In the sport of curling, it is well known that the ice sheets forming the playing surface must be kept clear of debris to prevent undesirable diversion of curling rocks away from their intended target. To prevent tracking of debris from non-playing areas of a curling club onto the ice sheets, effort is generally made to minimize tracking of debris from entering the curling club entirely using carpets and mats and like at doorways as much as possible. The use of carpets and mats have limited effectiveness however in climates where a large amount of snow, as well as salt and sand commonly spread of icy roadways and walkways, can be tracked into the curling club by patrons.
Various prior attempts have been made to manufacture a shoe cleaner which is more effective at collecting debris from shoes in various environments as disclosed in the following United States patents: U.S. Pat. No. 3,226,750 by Leonard; U.S. Pat. No. 5,418,996 by Chen; U.S. Pat. No. 1,223,195 by Molinaro; U.S. Pat. No. 3,060,475 by Dufault; U.S. Pat. No. 2,718,020 by Homme; and U.S. Pat. No. 762,782 by Waters. The known prior art examples typically have refuse receiving areas which are either i) incapable of containing liquids, ii) poorly located below rotary brushes for collecting liquids therefrom, or iii) have insufficient capacity for any substantial collection of liquids therein, as is typically required when snow forms a large portion of the debris to be collected.
Another example of a shoe cleaning apparatus has been previously manufactured and distributed by Thomson Rink Equipment Ltd. under the trademark name Boot Master in which a rotary brush is supported above a large refuse receptacle suitable for containing a large volume of liquid. The refuse receptacle is separate from a housing supported thereabove which houses the rotary brush and drive motor. Emptying the refuse receptacle thus requires separation of the housing from the refuse receptacle which can be cumbersome. Furthermore, the housing and refuse receptacle are formed of sheet metal which can quickly oxidise when exposed to liquid and salt of the type used commonly on roadways and walkways in colder climates.